From the Roaring ‘20s to the 2020s
Last week I wrote about my parents’ glittering 1926 wedding in the then-new Grace Episcopal Church, the first couple to…
Pioneers Museum’s “50% of the Story” is worth a look
The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum recently debuted an interesting exhibit titled “50% of the Story: Women Expressing Creativity.” It’s an…
The history of Colorado Avenue
The proposed Old Colorado City Downtown Development Authority has a beguiling name. We Westsiders love OCC, want it to flourish…
My fellow oldsters need to step aside
Welcome to the presidential race! On November 5th, the septuagenarian Donald Trump will face off against the octogenarian Joe Biden.…
Rediscovering bliss in books on Colorado Springs
Idon’t know whether to laugh, cry or be thankful – but the nasty little black slab that I carry in…
New soldiers always needed in the historic preservation battle
Might as well admit it – I’m addicted to historic preservation. Born in 1940, I grew up in a house…
Defining OCC and the Westside
One of the attractions of Old Colorado City and the historic Westside is the absence of defined and exclusionary boundaries.…
Revitalized Independent brings back memories of its early days
As the first issue of the new Colorado Springs Independent hit the streets, I was reminded of the little rag…
OCC’s advocacy, marketing and maintenance entities could face shakeup
Old Colorado City residents like to claim that theirs is a unique Colorado Springs neighborhood, and not without reason. Founded…
Project proposed for downtown Springs has both sides baying at the moon
Remember a few years ago when serial entrepreneur Perry Sanders announced his plans for a 115-story downtown building? It didn’t…
Rampage shatters the peace of Sunday evening on the Westside
Sunday night in our creaky old house on West Bijou Street began calmly and hopefully, as do most Sunday evenings.…
Old Colorado City merchants find strength in numbers
Old Colorado City Associates (OCCA) is a business group open to any person or business conducting business in Old Colorado…
Otra Vez offers treasures running gamut from shoes to paintings
Otra Vez, a consignment store at 2314 W. Colorado Ave., is just a few steps away from the Goodwill Store…
Westside in danger of turning into ‘false-front’ neighborhood
What do we most need on the historic Westside? Lots of answers come to mind. We need better road maintenance…
The Siberians are coming! Oh wait, they’re already here
What’s the most abundant tree in Colorado Springs? A few decades ago, you might have chosen cottonwoods, pines, ash or…
Collectors looking for pot of gold at bottom of rainbows
Collectors and collections — they go together like love and marriage. And to complete the poem, there are folks who…
A fool and his money are soon parted — but who cares, we had fun anyway
Do you like to gamble? Like to take risks? Do you think that one of these days you’ll hit a…
A man named Smith was no ordinary painter of this region
Francis Drexel Smith (1874-1956) was an atypical artist in the Colorado Springs art community. He wasn’t a professional artist, he…
When Cripple Creek burned, help was on the way soon
April 25, 1896, was a clear and bright day in Cripple Creek. It was a lively and prosperous (although dirty…
Let’s make the Westside the very best it can be
Reading the annual report from downtown Colorado Springs, one thing was abundantly clear: Compared to Old Colorado City and the…